This invention pertains to the art of heating and cooling systems, and more particularly to magnetic heating and cooling systems.
The invention is particularly applicable to magnetic heating or cooling systems which comprise ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic materials, and will be described with particular reference thereto. It will be appreciated, however, that the invention may be advantageously employed in other environments and applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,069,028 which issued on Jan. 17, 1978 to Gerald V. Brown, fully incorporated herein by reference, discloses a system for effecting heating or cooling. The system calls for the use of a solid ferromagnetic material which functions as a refrigerant with its Curie point near room temperature (e.g., the rare earth element gadolinium). The use of an appropriate magnetic field to achieve magnetic heating and cooling of the ferromagnetic material or refrigerant, combined with a liquid accumulator or regenerator, together extend the temperature differential there to a wider level than was achieved in the past.
The system disclosed in Brown employs a solid ferromagnetic material immersed in the liquid of the accumulator. A variety of geometries of the solid ferromagnetic material are described The various geometries are used and described in an effort to disclose an appropriate system for maximizing the heat transfer, and further to simplify the achievement of relative motion between the solid refrigerant and the accumulator liquid while minimizing liquid turbulence. Liquid turbulence is an undesirable factor in attempting to achieve temperature stratification within the system.
Brown provides a system for achieving cost effective heating and cooling in a number of applications surrounding the approximate room temperature regime. It appears, however, that the complexity of the mechanical design required to implement the Brown system may make the system economically uncompetitive. Furthermore, the complexity of the Brown design may achieve a less-than-desired level of reliability.
It would be desirable to modify the system disclosed in Brown in such a way as to alleviate some of the mechanical design complexity in order to produce an economically competitive magnetic heating and cooling system.
It would be further desirable to design a magnetic heating or cooling system which would operate within reliable parameters.
The present invention contemplates a new and improved apparatus and process to overcome all of the above-referenced problems and others. The present invention provides a reliable magnetic heating and cooling system which is less complex than that disclosed in Brown, and offers an economical alternative to Brown.